Game apparatus



G. MADIEU GAME APPARATUS Filed Feb. 26, 1957 JNVENTOH Patented Dec. 3,1940 UNiTED STATES iATENT OFFiCE Application February 26, 1937, SerialNo. 128,041

In France January 13, 1937 Claims.

This invention relates to a game apparatus and a principal object is toprovide a simple, practical, dependahle and unique apparatus capable offunctioning as an adjunct to any suitahle or ap- 5 propriate game suchas a gameinvclving a number of players Whose individual movements orprogression on, for example, a marked-oif game looard have to bedetermned; among other chjects is the provision of a game apparatusutilizing, in a unique and intriguing manner, certain forces of rotationand of rollingction and capa hle as desired of control by such degreeofskill as the player may be able to exert in the effort to determine themagnitude or value of his turn at the game. To best carry out suchobjects as these, I aim to provide a game apparatus comprising a cupshaped receptacle providedat its lower central portion with a certainnumber of small recesses or like caVities and a plurality of halls;which are distinguished from 'one another hy suitable means, such as-diifertnt colors and/or sizes, numoers, nOtches or other iridica'tiens, etc.

When the balls are set in movcment in the cup and allowed to stop theywill come together at the hottom of the latter and be retaind in saidrecess, so that they will stand in a certain order determined by hazardon'the figure or design formed by said recess.

The points scored hy the players will be based upon the relativeposition or positions of one or more given halls, in the figure formedby the halls.

In a prefei*red -emhodimnt, the said cup has three recesses andth1fieehalls are used.

The movement of the halls may be efiected either by r0tating the cup, orby the direct throwingf the halls ina stationary cup.

The said game apparatus, in order to evaluate the figure formed by thehalls, is completed by a score ihdicating chart upon Which arerepresented on the one hand the diiferent'figures which may be formedloy the halls in the cup and also any suitable limes, 'circumferences orthe like, combined With said figures in such way that h-y the positionsof the halls in the cup, the scoring points of the different players areautomatically indicated.

50 In the accompanying drawing, which is given solely by way of example:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammati vertical section of a form of construction of agame apparatus in acordance with the invention. H

55 Fig. 215 a correspond ing plan view.

Fig. 3 shows the corresponding score indicating table.

In the embodiment shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the apparatus comprises aconcave receptacle I of shallow form, which is rotatahly mounted, by 5means of an axle 2 and a hall oearing 3, upon a base 4. A pin 5, urgedby a spring 6 mounted in a lateral support 7, enters an aperture 8 inthe eclge of the said recipient i, and Will thus stop this latter in agiven angular position, after it 10 has heen set in rotation and haslost its kinetic energy after making a certain number of revolutiensdepending upon the force Which has been thus applied.

In the bottem of the 'said cup l are formed 15 three shallow circularrecesses 9, sa, il which may have any desired position, but arepreferahly arranged, as shown, in such way that their centers arelocated at the apices a, b, c, of an equilateral triangle.

Any desired reference mark or indexing mans such as the arrow l6-(Fig.2) is provided on the cup, preerably in radial alignment With one of therecesses. The apparatus' is completed by thre halls i2, I3, [4, whichcan be distinguished from one another by any desired means. In thepresent case, the three halls have the same diameter, and they can herecognized bytheir colour. For instance, the ball l2 iswhite, the halli3 is bine, and the 30 ball 14 is red. The halls preferahls have such adiameter that they will touch each other hen they stand in therespective recess 9, m, Il, as shown in Fig. 2.

When the cup is rotated and then ieft to itself 35 the halls Will rollupon the surface,nd When the cup bas been brought to rest by the stoppin 5, they Will corne together at the bottom by the effect of gravity,and drop into the recesses 9, H], H, respectively. 40

' With 'three recesses -positioned at the apexes 'of an equilateraltriangle as shown in Figure 2 and with three difierently colored hallscapable of heing brought to rest in the respective recesses, the hallswill thus -be able to take such relative positions with respect to thearrow l6 that Six difierent combinations or figures can be obtained.

The invention comprises also a score indicatingchart Il (Fig. 3) showingthe said'combinations as indicated at A, B, C, D, E, F. Arrows l8 onsaidchart correspond to the arrow l6 of the cup and the respective positionswhich the halls can take are shown by white circles (12) blue circles(I3) and red circles (M) arranged tangentially to each other.

The six combinations are as follows: Combination A.The white hall l2 isat the top,

in the recess 9. The red bal] l4 at the bottom, on the right, in therecess Il. And the blue hall l3 at the bottom, on the left, in therecess Il). v The whole set of combinations is shown b-elow:

Botcom Top Le; Right Combination:

In the embodiment shown in Fig. 3, the combinations A and B are shownside by side, C and D are shown below side by side, and D and E areshown at the base of the chart, also side by side, with a. point ofcontact between the inner circles of the combinations A and B, C and D,E and F. Moreover, a circumference !9 is shown on each group, saidcircumference passing through the point of contact between the threehalls in each group.

The chart like that of Figure 3, for interpreting or tiranslating thepossible geometric figures which the halls can be made to set up may beused for many game combinations. For example, the several players maytake turns in manipulating the halls and the cup and the sixcombinations A to F of Figure 3 may be given appropriately difieringnumerical values such as, for example, from 1 to 6, respectively.Accordingly, if a player achieves the combination B that could mean thathe may make two moves in whatever game the apDaratus, including thechart, is functioning, and so on. For that matter, some of thecombinations may be given negative values to indicate retrogrademovement in the particular game being played. Thus, the game beingplayed might be a game like parchesi or backgammon. Many other gamecombinations can, of course, be devised.

Obviously, the said invention is not limited to the embodiment shown anddescribed. The stop pin may be dispensed With. It has however theadvantage of stopping the cup in a position which is fixed in space,which facilitates the control of the game by the players. When the stoppin 5 is used, it Will be appreciated that the stoppage of the rotatingreceptacle I may be relatively sudden in which case the rolling aroundof the halls is given, relatively, a substantial impetus and in suchcase the player can exercise his efforts at skill by the initial rotarymovernent that he gives the cup and that may be set into rotation at,for example, high speed or low speed, and likewise, also, the player mayset the stop pin into action at any point in the deceleration of thecup. If, as above noted, the stop pin is dispensed With, the rotarymotion of the cup, initially achieved at any desired value as theplayers judgment and skill may direct, may be halted or decelerated inany suita-ble way, even manually, thus afiording the player theopportunity of exercising skill and judgment in the rate at which thecupis decelerated or the point in its deceleration at which it iscompletely halted, or both, the result as set up by the halls dependingupon these factors and their variations as determined by the skill andjudgment of the player.

The cup I need not have a rotary motion, and for the more simpleplaying, it may be moved by hand.

The cup I may also be held stationary, in which case the halls arethroWn by hand or by a stream of air, or by any other means.

In order to malte a distinction between the halls, use may be made ofany desired characteristics such as colours, numbers, difierent sizes,perforations, various marks, or the like.

The arrangement of the combinations on the score indicating chart I! maybe difierent from the one represented, and may consist of separatecircles, inverted combinations, difi.erent positions, etc. Some of thecircles of a combinatien could be superposed upon circles of anothercombination and each combination could have contacting points With aplurality of other combinations. Difierent values could be put uponthese difierent arrangements and different interpretations given themaccording to the particular game being played.

Thus, it will be seen that there has been provided in this invention agame apparatus in which the various objects above noted, together Withother thoroughly practical advantages, are successiully achieved. Theaction of the mochanism is unique and intriguing, the apparatus is ofwide adaptability, and the exercise of the play-ers skill may be broughtinto play to any desired extent.

As many possible embodiments may be made of the above invention and asmany changes might be made in the embodiment' above set forth, it is tobe understood that all matter hereinbefore set forth, or shown in theaccompanying drawing, is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in alimiting sense.

Having now described my invention what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. A game apparatus comprising a receptacle provided at its lowercentral part With a number of recesses arranged at the apexes of apolygon and leaving thereabout a circular smooth path, indexing meansforming a point of orientation with respect to said polygon, and a setof individually distinguishahle halls in the same number as the saidrecesses, adapted to freely roll in said receptacle along said circularsmooth path and to enter respectively into said recesses to be retainedtherein by their own weight, whereby said halls and said recesses coactto set up according to which distinguishable -balls enter whichrecesses, any one of a plurality of distihguishable polygonalarrangements with respect to said point of orientation formed by saidindexing means.

2. A game apparatus comprising a receptacle provided at its lowercentral part with a number of recesses arranged at the apexes of apolygon and leaving thereabout a circular smooth path, indexing meansforming a point of orientation With respect to said polygon, and a setof individually distinguishable halls in the same number as the saidrecesses, adapted to freely roll in said receptacle along said circularsmooth path and to enter respectiVely into said recesses to be retainedtherein by their own weight, the recesses being so located that thehalls are in contact With each other in the lower part of the receptaclewhen they are retained in the respective recesses, whereby said hallsand said recesses coact to set up according to Which distinguishablehalls enter which recesses, any one of a plurality of distinguishablepolygonal arrangements with respect to said point of orientation formedby said indeXing means.

3. A game apparatus comprising a receptacle provided at its lowercentral part With a number of recesses arranged at the apexes of apolygcn and leaving thereabout a circular smooth path, indexing meansfrming a point of orientation with respect to said polygon, and a set ofindividully distinguishable halls in the same number as the saidrecesses, adapted to freely roll in said receptacle along said circularsmooth path and to enter respectively into said recesses to be retainedtherein by their own weight, and means for rotatably supporting thereceptacle, whereby said balls and said recesses coact to set upaccording to which distinguishable halls enter Which recesses, any oneof a plurality et distinguishable polygonal arrangements With respect tosaid point of orientation formed by said indexing means.

4. A game apparatus comprising a receptacle provided at its lowercentral part With a number of recesses arranged at the apexes of apolygon and leaving thereabout a circular smooth path, indexing meansforming a point of orientation with respect to said polygon, and a setof individually distinguishable halls in the same number as the saidrecesses, adapted to freely roll in said receptacle along said circularsmooth path and to enter respectively into said recesses to be retainedtherein by their own weight, and means for rotatably supporting thereceptacle and means adapted to stop the rotary receptacle in a givenangular position, whereby said halls and said recesses coact to set upaccorcling to Which distinguishable halls enter which recesses, any oneof a plurality of distinguishable polygonal arrangements with respect tosaid point of orientation formed by said indexing means.

5. A game apparatus comprising a receptacle provided with a circularinterior surface with three recesses arranged in substantially anequilateral triangle, whose center substantially coincides With thecenter of said surface, and a plurality of individually distinguishablehalls capable upon relative movement betWeen them and said receptacle ofultimately coming t0 rest in recesses at the apexes of said triangle andin coaction with said recesses to form any one of a number ofdistinguishahle triangular relations with respect to a given point oforientation.

GERARD MADIEU.

